Dear Jew in the City, Were the Jews forced to accept the Torah? It was literally held over our heads and could seem to be given in such a way where we had no choice but to accept it. Sincerely, Simon Dear Simon, Thanks for your question. Let’s explain it. Exodus 19:17 says that […]
We live in a world with a lot of confusion. On a regular basis, we see innocent people suffer and evil people prosper. Even when life isn’t explicitly unfair, we often don’t see the behind the scenes workings of the universe. We see only a small snippet of reality from […]
As we approach the close of Mental Health Awareness Month, Jew in the City is ready to tackle an insidious, and often unspoken-of issue in religious communities: that of toxic leadership. In conversation with Rabbi Yanky Horowitz and Dr. Michael Salamon, Allison sparked a discussion about manipulative leaders and self-serving power dynamics. An abusive leader […]
Dear Jew in the City, Why is Jerusalem so special to the Jewish people? Sincerely, Michelle Dear Michelle, Thanks for your question. I could start the story of Jerusalem with the creation of the world (see, for example, Bereishis Rabbah 14:8, cited by Rashi on Genesis 2:7) or with Avraham (Jerusalem being where the akeidah […]
If you’re not a fan of NBC’s “This Is Us,” you should be. (The first episode has a bizarre moment where the father (Jack’s) naked backside is briefly flashed, which originally turned me off, because it was a cheap and crude device. But I was assured that the rest of the show was nothing like […]
Dear Jew in the City, Why do the curses given on Har Eval soooo outnumber the blessings given on Har Gerizim? Why is there so much cursing in the Torah? Sincerely, Mo Dear Mo, Thanks for your question. I have a lot to say about it. First, the way you phrased the question “Why is […]
